‘Wonderland’ a holiday spectacle at Century II

Like the smorgasbord at a holiday party, “Broadway Christmas Wonderland” has something for everyone: the delicious, the sustenance and the dish that leaves you wondering “How did that get in there?”

With five singers and 20-some dancers, the revue – which continues Wednesday and Thursday nights at Century II – is anything but subtle. Nearly everything, especially its first-act medleys, is capital-E elaborate, with huge production numbers abounding. The songs tally upwards of four dozen, not counting those in the curtain call “Christmas Mega-Mix Party Time.”

But despite its 15-minute late start and a couple of the nearly capacity crowd who decided to make a quick exit, the results brought an appreciative audience to their feet by the end of the 2 1/2 hour production.

Many of the songs and medleys in this traveling Theater League production were delivered in just the way you’d expect – songs such as “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” don’t leave much for interpretation.

But the stylized offerings were what set “Broadway Christmas Wonderland” apart from merely brushing it off as amusement-park or cruise-ship drivel.

Among the highlights were a Bob Fosse-esque song-and-dance arrangement of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” featuring vocals by Andrea Flemming, who later returned with a soulful “Higher and Higher” to close out the first act.

The “Broadway” third of the title was evident in several places during the night, including Russian steps nearly identical to the “Bottle Dance” from “Fiddler on the Roof,” and a rendition of “Jingle Bells,” with the dancers seated on the edge of the Century II stage in an homage to “Our Favorite Son” from “The Will Rogers Follies.”

Several Broadway and movie themes, not necessarily Christmas-related, made their way into the lineup as well. “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” worked with its lyrics as-is, but it seemed a stretch to turn the “Mary Poppins” ditty “Jolly Holiday” into a Christmas song, substituting “Santa” for “Mary” in its words.

And you have to wonder why turning the theme from “The Flintstones” into a Christmas tune got the green light all the way to the stage.

A few pop-flavored Christmas songs made their way onto the list, including the Bruce Springsteen arrangement of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The standard “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” whose lyrics become more creepy as the years pass, is given a twist in the middle that makes it worth recommending.

Several other popular songs were head-scratchers as to why they made it into the show, although the inclusion of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” brought whoops and hollers from the crowd, with at least two dozen of them giving the song and singer James Oblak a standing ovation.

The night had its mix of secular and sacred songs, although one has to question the placement of Mel Torme’s “Christmas Song” (listed in the program as “Chestnuts Roasting”) in a “Gospel Christmas Time” medley with “Mary, Did You Know?,” “Joyful, Joyful” and “Silent Night.”

The dancers, throughout the night, were nothing less than dazzling in a variety of numbers, with precision tap-dancing, elaborate ballroom style and several full-gusto kicklines throughout the night. Credit Sarah Rouet with the amazing choreography.

The female dancers went through a near-infinity of costume changes throughout the night, many of them skimpy and skin-bearing, designed by Jonelle DeBlanc and Nicole Estes.

The rich set design, with dozens of beautifully painted backdrops, added a lushness to the Century II stage.

If you just can’t get enough of the holiday hits, put “Broadway Christmas Wonderland” on your list.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 1:47 PM with the headline "‘Wonderland’ a holiday spectacle at Century II."